ESPN offered Skip Bayless mammoth $26.5-31m deal to reunite with Stephen A Smith

Skip Bayless signed a mammoth four-year, $32 million deal to continue with broadcast giants Fox Sports. Bayless famously left ESPN back in 2016 when Fox Sports, as part of a new strategy targeting the kind of sports debate content that ESPN struck rich with, offered him a reported four-year, $24 million deal. ESPN reportedly tried to correct their mistake but instead made the 69-year-old more wealthy while at Fox. 

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Skip Bayless new contract: ESPN tried re-uniting Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith before Fox's mammoth offer 

According to a report by the New York Post, ESPN offered Bayless somewhere in the range of $26.5 million to $31 million as part of a planned reunion with former "First Take" partner Stephen A. Smith. The report stated that Skip Bayless was pursued as a part of a strategy to bolster its new ESPN+ streaming platform. The two, who still remain close friends, would have hosted a daily show on ESPN+ which would have promoted across the ESPN umbrella, including weekly appearances during halftime of "Monday Night Football", with Smith now hosting First Take with Max Kellerman.

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The broadcast giants were desperate enough to get the 69-year-old back, offering an option even if Bayless decides to stay with Fox Sports. The idea was that both Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith continue to host their respective shows and then collaborate on ESPN+, but the idea was swiftly turned down. Fox Sports plan to launch a second daily show for Bayless in the afternoon, where the 69-year-old will be the solo host. Smith was said to be a big supporter of getting Bayless back on board, and negotiations lasted months before the latter eventually renewed with Fox. 

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Skip Bayless joined Fox Sports in 2016 after 12 years with ESPN. During his time at ESPN, Bayless gained fame for his work as a commentator on the ESPN2 show 'First Take' with Stephen A. Smith. The popular show featured debates between the two and became a hit among sports fans. At Fox, Bayless began hosting his own show, "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed". With Bayless secured, Fox will now work on a renewal for Shannon Sharpe, with his contract set to expire in July. Sharpe bags half of what Bayless earned before his extension, and has become a star in his own right. Should Fox decide to move on from Sharpe, should he choose to leave of his own accord, or if the two sides are unable to come to an agreement, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho could be a possible replacement alongside Bayless on Undisputed.

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(Image Courtesy: Stephen A Smith, Skip Bayless Instagram)